Thousands gather around Istanbul square after police raid

Thousands of people took to the streets and began building barricades on a main avenue to Istanbul's Taksim Square on Saturday after police firing tear gas raided an adjoining park to evict anti-government protesters, a Reuters witness said.

People run as riot police fires a water cannon on Gezi Park protesters at Taksim Square in Istanbul.Credit: Reuters

Thousands of people took to the streets and began building barricades on a main avenue to Istanbul's Taksim Square on Saturday after police firing tear gas raided an adjoining park to evict anti-government protesters, a Reuters witness said.

Police fired tear gas canisters into back streets around the square for several hours after the raid, a second witness said, to try to prevent crowds from regrouping.